“Take the sergeant away. He’s made his decision,” Steven said.
What just happened? Lea swallowed. Was this a foregone conclusion? Yes, they had no choice.
“Where are you taking him?” Cain demanded, standing to his feet. “Is this how we treat heroes of the People’s Republic?”
One of the guards pushed Cain back into his seat with his weapon aimed right at Cain’s heart. “Sir?”
Steven waved them off. “Leave us. We’re not done talking yet.”
Lea stared at the admiral’s torn face. That thing on the side of his neck may give him orders or spy on every thought running through his mind, but it didn’t control him. Why did he obey? Maybe once you put that thing in your body, you become a slave to it. She gripped Cain’s hand. “Where will we get relocated?”
Steven blinked. “Both of you?”
Cain nodded. “Yeah, we don’t want any part of that.”
“Lea, please. Don’t do this. You … you don’t know what—” Steven’s face twisted.
“What’s wrong?” Cain asked.
Steven blinked. “Nothing. Where … where was it? Oh yeah, please reconsider.”
“What just happened?” Lea demanded.
“I … I received an order, that’s all.”
“You’re nuts if you think for one second that I’ll submit to that … machine,” Cain said.
Lea nodded her head. “I’m with my husband. There’s no way you’re putting that thing in me.”
“As you wish,” Steven said. “Guards!”
Two different guards entered Steven’s office. “Everything all right, sir?” one of them asked.
Steven glared at Lea and Cain. “No, not at all.”
Cain plucked his colonel rank off his collar and tossed it to Steven. “I won’t submit, and I won’t force anyone else to, either.”
Lea smiled at her husband as she removed her captain’s rank and flung it at Steven. “That goes for me, too.” She rose to her feet. “What now?”
Steven sighed. “Now, you’re going to be relocated and assigned a new job. Good luck.”
Lea frowned. “We won’t need it.”
Cain slapped Steven on the shoulder and smiled. “See why I love her?”
The guards raised their weapons, aiming at Lea and Cain. They motioned them towards the door.
“You can always change your mind,” Steven said.
“Thanks,” Lea said as she and Cain left the admiral’s office. What happens now?
“Look out!” Major Farrah Haider screamed as she slammed into Jarak Zeger, knocking him to the ground.
A particle beam slammed into the wall behind them, spraying Jarak with concrete. He patted down his militaristic black environmental suit. No holes, thank God! “Where is he?”
All of Farrah’s female features were hidden by her environmental suit. She motioned Jarak forward towards a large rock. “He’s gotta be by the mine entrance.” She placed her particle beam rifle into her shoulder and fired. “I only see one.”
“Got it. Keep him busy,” Jarak said. “I’m flanking to the left.” Without waiting for a response, Jarak rushed to a pile of worthless rock. He peered around the corner. The mine was at the base of the largest mountain on Ceres. Mining machines, a commercial T-Mat station, pallets of explosives, and piles and piles of rock with the valuable minerals already sucked out of them surrounded the entrance. Jarak needed him or her to return fire. Come on!
As if on cue, a helmet with the Benton Enterprises logo on it popped up behind a small rock pile and fired.
“Damn it!” Farrah said over the intercom.
“You hit?” Jarak asked as he looked back towards Farrah.
“No, but his last shot hit my rifle. I can’t fire anymore. He sees you!”
The rock exploded above Jarak’s head. He raised his rifle and fired. Missed. Only way to get that bastard was to keep his head down and close in. He swallowed as he leaped to his feet, firing. Jarak’s beams rapidly hit the rock pile and just a hair over. With each quick step, he fired. Gotta keep his head down. Only five meters to go! Come on! Jarak saw the top of the helmet and fired. Missed. He fired even faster. As soon as his finger released the trigger, he squeezed it again.
The Benton Enterprise security guard was just on the other side of the rock pile. What would Jarak do? He’d attack. Do something to draw his enemy’s attention, just for a second, then kill him. If he flew around the corner and fired, he may kill the guard, but the guard could do the same to him. At the very least, rupture his environmental suit, letting in the carbon monoxide atmosphere. No, Jarak couldn’t give him the chance.
Jarak pulled a thermal grenade from a pouch on his suit. It was his last one. He pulled the safety pin and the button began to flash a cherry red. Jarak pressed the button twice, setting the timer for two seconds. He tossed it over the pile, hopefully just out of reach of the security guard.
The guard bolted from behind the rock pile, towards the T-Mat station.
Jarak fired. This time, he hit his target. He stood up as the security guard crumpled to the ground. “It’s all clear.”
“Coming out,” Farrah said.
Jarak smiled as Farrah came out from the rock pile she was hiding behind. He walked over towards the guard’s body, kicking away his weapon. He rolled him over. The particle beam pierced the guard’s suit and his body, right through the chest. Jarak could have put his fist in the hole his weapon left. Yeah, he was dead.
Farrah tapped Jarak on the shoulder. “Look!”
People wearing gray environmental suits started coming out of the mine. Their helmets had a clear face, showing their euphoria. They were human colonists, miners for Benton Enterprises. A woman stepped forward, heading directly toward Jarak.
“Major, check in with the other teams. Also, call up to the Courage and find out if there are any signs of reinforcements,” Jarak said.
“Yes, sir,” Farrah replied.
The woman smiled as she approached Jarak. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m Janet.”
“Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, thanks to you and your soldiers. I’m glad I listened to Phillip.”
“I’m glad we could help.”
“Ever since they turned off the Tera Forming Plants, they …” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Well, that’s over now.”
Jarak nodded. “I’ve seen it happen before. Once the minerals needed for the dark-matter engines are exhausted, they cut their costs by shutting those plants down, unless the colony is willing to buy them.”
She frowned. “They wanted more credits than it would cost for a new one. Those are at least three generations old.”
“I know. But, now, the plants are yours. They won’t bother you this far out in the Kuiper Belt.”
“Thank you so much. If you need anything, just ask.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “We owe you our lives, literally. I wish you and your family many blessings.”
He turned away. “You’re welcome.” Images of his dying wife and son at the hands of those corporate security bastards flashed through his mind. The mining colony he grew up on was not dissimilar to this one. Once the ore was extracted, the corporation tried to blackmail the colonists. When they resisted, the security detachment killed more than half, even his own family. He’d joined the fight against the corporation years ago. How many would he have to kill to make the pain go away?
“Sir, the other teams reported in and the security contingent is eradicated,” Farrah said.
“Reinforcements?”
“No signs. We’re clear.” She tapped her helmet as if hearing a transmission. “Roger that, I’ll tell him.”
Jarak turned towards Farrah. “What is it?”
“The CO’s on the line.”
Jarak tapped his helmet. “Courage, this is the captain, put him through.”
“Jarak, can you hear me?” the salty voice of Brigadier General Tippins said over the radio.
“I can hear you.�
�
“Jarak, we’ve had a breakthrough,” Tippins said. “And a bit of luck.”
Jarak frowned. “Okay?”
“You’re being pulled from Ceres to something more … offensive.”
Jarak smiled. Finally! “Go ahead, sir.”
“Our intelligence informed us that everyone in the Earth military is required to have an implant.”
“How does that help us?”
“The added technology opened some … vulnerabilities directly into the minds of those people. Our labs developed a virus that may be able to disable a ship’s crew while we attack them. Essentially, destroying the ship without firing a shot,” Tippins said.
“Where does my ship fit in?” Jarak asked.
“We need to test it on the Lenin. It’s a battle cruiser between Ceres and Pluto, still in the Kuiper Belt.”
“What do I do after I disable them?”
“Destroy the ship. No survivors. We can’t risk the word getting out about our new weapon.”
Jarak frowned. “I hate them as much as you do. We’ve all lost someone to their greed. But if they’re already disabled, killing them seems … barbaric. I don’t want to do what they did to me. This is not about revenge.”
Tippins lowered his voice. “You expect me to believe that? From you?”
“What do I tell my crew?”
“Whatever you think they need to know, nothing more.”
Jarak nodded. “What happens after I succeed?”
“Invasion. First, you need to head to Europa and meet our agent outside the protective dome. He will give you the virus and the instructions on how to use it.”
“Roger that. Out.” Jarak tapped the side of his helmet, switching off the communicator. He looked upon the land ravaged by Benton Enterprises. I won’t rest until this stops.
4
Where the hell are we going? Why didn’t we just use the T-Mat? Lea thought, with her face pressed against the crowded shuttle’s window. Lea and Cain normally rode in the front or somewhere more fit to their station. She—no, they—didn’t have any station now. Hell, even the guards in the fleet headquarters treated them like crap after they’d refused the implant. But she never thought they’d ever be crammed into a tiny, obsolete shuttlecraft.
They flew just a hair higher than the trees. Trees. Yeah, who would have ever known that Zone 92 was once the Nevada Desert? Off in the distance, a large structure poked above the tree tops. “What’s that?”
Cain peered out the window. “I—well, it kind of looks like a … wall. Yeah, a wall with something on top—yeah, like you see at a … prison.” The blood in his face drained. “They’re not.”
“It can’t be,” Lea said. “This must be some kind of mistake. The government would never isolate people just because—would they?”
Cain pointed out the window. “Apparently, they would.”
Lea swallowed. All those years she’d taken orders without question. Sure, they did some things that she didn’t agree with, but her leaders had more information. Information that she didn’t have, so they must have made the right decisions; right? Were she and her husband now a security risk? No. What else had she been wrong about?
“Please make sure your seatbelts are on, we’re landing momentarily,” a computer voice said over the speakers throughout the cabin.
Lea looked out the window as the shuttle descended towards a small landing pad just outside a large gate embedded in the enormous wall. Military vehicles with mounted weapons were parked near a two-story building adjacent to the landing pad. Behind the building were at least three dozen military-style barracks. What is going on?
Cain painted on a smile as the shuttle landed. “We’ll be okay.”
Lea leaned over. “Did we make a mistake? Maybe we should have gotten the implant,” she whispered.
Cain glared at her. “Never. Do you really want to give up your thoughts, your mind, to the government? For security? For centuries, we’ve given up freedoms for security. And every time there was a temporary measure, it became permanent. No, I’ll never get that implant. I beg you to do the same.”
“I won’t.” Lea looked out the window to her new home beyond the wall.
The shuttle door opened and a female guard carrying a particle beam rifle and dressed in a black security uniform climbed aboard. The guard smiled as she looked upon the thirty people occupying the shuttle. “Welcome to District 493 in Zone 92. In accordance with the law and regulations, you are relocated here because you didn’t take the implant, like the majority of the population. Beyond the wall, you will find a new life. This is not a prison. We’re merely protecting the population from unnecessary risks. During your stay …”
Lea rolled her eyes. Puh-lease. Unnecessary risks? This was for people who stood up to the government—to Benton Enterprises. How could she allow herself to get pregnant now? When they are forced to live in such … conditions? She couldn’t. It would crush Cain, but how could he disagree? He wouldn’t want his family line to only continue on behind the wall, right?
“… last thing, at any time, if you change your mind, just notify one of the security stations throughout the settlement. Now, please exit the shuttlecraft and board the buses.” The guard disappeared down the ramp leading to the landing platform.
Cain sighed. “This sucks. But, it’s better than the alternative.”
Lea stood up. “We’ll make the best of it. We won’t get everything we want, but we’ll manage.”
“Come on,” Cain said as he followed the crowd leaving the shuttle.
The air hit Lea. It was unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. It was … different. The odor, which seemed to come from livestock, seeped through the wall. She held her breath as she climbed aboard the bus.
Cain sat down about halfway down the aisle. “Here.”
Lea slid down next to him. “That smell—”
Cain laughed. “I’ve smelled worse. You didn’t see a whole lot sitting up there on the bridge, you know.” The bus started to move towards the gate. “Here we go.”
Lea looked past Cain, out the window. The gates were some kind of heavy alloy, obviously meant to keep people inside. As they passed through the gate, the sun seemed to be brighter. It wasn’t, of course, but it felt like it.
What should have been a green oasis, wasn’t. There were no trees, no bushes, just porous dirt. It was as if someone reversed the de-desertification program for this area. Rows upon rows upon rows of small, one-story buildings lined the main strip.
“What happened here?” Cain asked.
“They’re trying everything to get these people to voluntarily take the implant,” Lea said.
The bus stopped outside a small house. “Mr. and Mrs. McKenna, please exit the bus to your new home.”
Lea followed Cain off the bus. As soon as the door closed, the bus sped down the street.
Cain opened the door and stepped inside. “We can work with this.”
“It’ll take some getting used to,” Lea said as she stepped inside. Their new home was fully furnished, probably from its last occupants. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were all the same room. A large, gray couch with a large hole in one of the seat cushions sat in the front of the room with small end tables on either side. The dining room table was wood, covered with scratches, and surrounded by three mismatched wooden chairs. There was a single door on the opposite wall. “Bedroom? We can find a way to cheer ourselves up a little.”
Cain smiled. “Only one way to find out.”
“Me first,” Lea said as she pushed past him. At least they could never take Cain’s uncanny ability to make her feel— ”Not on that thing.”
“What?” Cain frowned when he entered the bedroom.
Flies buzzed all over the stained, bare mattress. The bedroom was barely big enough to hold the full-sized bed. Lea closed the door. “We don’t deserve this.” When she plopped down on the couch, dust flew into the air. “Really?”
“We’re
in the desert.”
“No, we’re not. The de-desertification program was used here, you can tell from the post outside the wall. It’s almost like they undid it here, as an incentive.”
Cain pulled her in close. “It’ll be all right. We’ll manage.”
“I know. But, I want to live, not just survive,” Lea said.
He kissed her forehead. “I know. I know.”
What could be worse than this? Lea thought. How bad could the implant really be?
“Sir, when is the agent supposed to arrive?” Farrah asked.
Jarak’s smile was hidden under his helmet and protective suit. “They’re already late.” Approximately eight kilometers from the protective dome, they stood on the ice that covered the moon’s surface.
“Sir, permission to speak freely.”
“I wouldn’t be a good captain if I didn’t allow my first officer to speak freely. Go ahead.”
“I’m—well, I’m all in on the fight to free our people from Benton Enterprises …”
“But?”
“But, I’m not comfortable with killing the BC Lenin’s crew while they are disabled. I mean—if it truly works, why not capture them?” Farrah asked. “Why not try to gain some intelligence from them and spare their lives?”
Jarak sighed. “I brought up that same point with the CG (Commanding General), but the orders stand. Do I have your support on this?”
“Of course. You shouldn’t have to ask.”
“I trust your judgement and I count on you to keep me on the straight and narrow. Which I’m sure is not an easy task sometimes.”
“All the time,” Farrah muttered.
Jarak tapped the side of his helmet. “I heard that.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“I was kidding. Anyway, if it works, this new weapon will enable us to finish this fight and allow our soldiers to go back to their families.”
“Why’s that?”
“I went over some of the new intel reports the CG sent over. Those sick bastards are now requiring everyone to have an implant, connected to GIS—”
“What’s GIS?”
“It stands for Governing Information Systems. The new president consults with her AI more than her human cabinet members. Humans can’t hold a decent job without one of those damn things. Intel believes that the AI does more than give directions.”
Cyber Invasion (The A.I. Conspiracy Book 1) Page 3